Audi reveals sporty new A5/S5 with an emphasis on design

Audi revealed the new A5 last week as the third generation of the nameplate and a farewell to the A4. The German automaker emphasized the new model’s looks as combining “the sharpened design language and dynamic proportions” of the previous A4 and A5.

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Plenty of power on tap if you want it

Under the hood of the regular A5 is the 2.0L TFSI 4-cylinder engine, which delivers 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet. Upgrade to the more powerful S5, and you get a 3.0L TFSI V6 in the S5 with 362 horsepower and 406 pound-feet. Both models use the 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission delivering power to a quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Audi claims road feel has also been significantly improved over previous A4 and A5 models, which the company has achieved by mounting the steering rack directly to the body and using a significantly stiffer torsion bar. The front suspension and handling components have also been revised for quicker steering inputs.

Canyon carving comes naturally to the A5 and S5

The new A5 is also an athlete when it comes to curvy roads, thanks to its rear-biased anti-roll stabilization and stiffer connection to the rear suspension. Brake torque vectoring also makes a welcome appearance, applying the brakes to any individual wheel as needed for tighter cornering.

The sportier S5 steps it up a notch thanks to its optional adaptive S sport suspension with electronic damper control and three driving modes. Regardless of which suspension you pick, the S5 is 20mm lower than the A5.

Wheel choices in the standard A5 are either 18-inch or 19-inch with all-season run-flat tires, while the S5 gets either 19-inch or 20-inch wheels with summer or run-flat tires.

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The design is front and center

The aesthetics of the new A5 are what Audi is proudest of. For starters, it’s 2.6 inches longer, 0.5 inches wider, and 1.6 inches taller than the outgoing A4. The rearward sweeping bodylines end in a lip spoiler atop the shortened trunk lid, which opens along with the rear window, much like a hatchback. That trunk has 22.6 cubic feet of space, which can be extended up to 36.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

The front-end is dominated by a larger honeycomb grille with molded air curtains and slimmer headlights for a more aggressive look. The S5 gets special side air intakes and “accentuated three-dimensional air curtains.” The rear gains a light strip that spans the width of the car along with an integrated darkened diffuser. It’s all very sporty, and still unmistakeably Audi from any angle.

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The lighting on the A5 is equally as special

Speaking of the lighting, Audi provides customizable LED daytime running light signatures on the A5 Prestige, S5 Premium Plus and Prestige, and customizable digital OLED taillights on the A5 and S5 Prestige models.

The rear light strip on the A5 family is composed of around 60 segments per OLED panel, with the top Prestige trim housing six OLED panels. In total, that adds up to more than 360 segments just for the taillights alone, allowing for some pretty snazzy personalization.

The cabin is equally as techy

The interior is a mix of ease-of-use, space, comfort, and technology, according to Audi’s release. The 11.9-inch cluster and 14.5-inch MMI infotainment screen are plenty useful on their own, but real tech-savvy owners can throw in an additional 10.9-inch MMI front-passenger display, for a dashboard that is more screen than anything else.

The dashboard can also house the “dynamic interaction light (IAL),” an LED strip that spans its width and lights up when the car is locked or unlocked, when the turn signals are in use, and when other driving features are activated.

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An adjustable head-up display is also available, which Audi claims is 85% larger than on previous models.

Like your music loud? Opt for the Bang & Olufsen Premium sound systems, which offer 3D sound, up to 810 watts of power, and 20 loudspeakers. The A5’s party trick is the four integrated headrest speakers in the optional front sports seats, which keep sound balanced and exclusively broadcast your phone calls, keeping them inside the car. You can even get your navigation prompts sent through them to prevent Google Maps from pausing the music. That’s pretty genius.

Final thoughts

If a sporty German toy was foretold by your fortune cookie, the Audi A5/S5 might be what was in the cards for you. Sure, it’s not the 600 hp supercar we have gotten used to nowadays, but the 362 hp in the S5 is plenty of power to have fun with. Plus, it sounds like Audi instilled it with some special suspension and handling tricks to complement that speed.

Bonus points if you’re a fan of the latest technology, screens that span the entire dashboard, and/or lights that dance for you.

The 2025 Audi A5 and S5 will arrive in U.S. dealerships before the second quarter of 2025, with MSRP starting from $47,700 plus $1,295 for destination and delivery. Is it worth that price?

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